How to File for Unemployment in Pennsylvania
How to apply for unemployment in Pennsylvania, what you need, and what you must do each week to keep getting benefits.
Short answer: File online any time at benefits.uc.pa.gov, or by phone at 1-888-313-7284 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). You may need to verify your identity. PA L&I, Apply for Unemployment Compensation Benefits; Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Handbook (UCP-1)
| How to apply | File online any time at benefits.uc.pa.gov, or by phone at 1-888-313-7284 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). You may need to verify your identity. After you apply, file a weekly claim certification for each week you are totally or partially unemployed, and report all gross earnings for the Sunday-to-Saturday week. Keep filing even if a decision on your claim is still pending. |
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| Earnings needed to qualify | The base year is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you apply. Your eligibility depends on your highest-quarter wages, total base-year wages and credit weeks. A credit week is any week in which you earned $116 or more. You need at least 18 credit weeks. Your total base-year wages must also meet the qualifying-wage amount in the UC Law's benefit table for your highest-quarter wages. If you could not meet these requirements because of a work-related injury, you can ask for an alternate base year. |
| Work search requirements | Register for reemployment services with PA CareerLink within 30 days of filing. Starting with the third calendar week after you file your initial claim, you must make two job applications and do one work search activity every week. Interviewing for a job counts toward any of the three. In a week when you work part-time and earn more than your partial benefit credit, one application is enough. You must document all work search activity. You are exempt if you are in an approved work search program or training, get work through a union hiring hall, are in the Shared-Work program, are required to attend RESEA, or have a written recall date from your employer. |
| Logging in and filing weekly claims | Pennsylvania's Department of Labor & Industry runs the Unemployment Compensation (UC) Benefits system, where you log in with your UC System username and password to certify each week (Sunday through Saturday) that you were totally or partially unemployed. Online filing is available 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday. You can also file weekly certifications by phone through PA Teleclaims (PAT) at 888-255-4728, 24 hours a day; the statewide UC line for initial claims is 1-888-313-7284. L&I warns that it will never ask you to pay for UC services. Instructions: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dli/resources/for-claimants-workers/benefits-information/uc-guides-tutorials/how-to-file |
Where to get help in Pennsylvania
More Pennsylvania unemployment benefits
- Logging In to Your Pennsylvania Unemployment Claim
- Unemployment for Self-Employed and Gig Workers in Pennsylvania
- Unemployment After Being Fired in Pennsylvania
- Unemployment After Quitting in Pennsylvania
- How Much Unemployment Pays in Pennsylvania
- All Pennsylvania unemployment benefits rules
FAQ
How do I apply for unemployment in Pennsylvania?
File online any time at benefits.uc.pa.gov, or by phone at 1-888-313-7284 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). You may need to verify your identity. After you apply, file a weekly claim certification for each week you are totally or partially unemployed, and report all gross earnings for the Sunday-to-Saturday week. Keep filing even if a decision on your claim is still pending.
How much do you need to have earned to get unemployment in Pennsylvania?
The base year is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you apply. Your eligibility depends on your highest-quarter wages, total base-year wages and credit weeks. A credit week is any week in which you earned $116 or more. You need at least 18 credit weeks. Your total base-year wages must also meet the qualifying-wage amount in the UC Law's benefit table for your highest-quarter wages. If you could not meet these requirements because of a work-related injury, you can ask for an alternate base year.
What are the work search requirements for unemployment in Pennsylvania?
Register for reemployment services with PA CareerLink within 30 days of filing. Starting with the third calendar week after you file your initial claim, you must make two job applications and do one work search activity every week. Interviewing for a job counts toward any of the three. In a week when you work part-time and earn more than your partial benefit credit, one application is enough. You must document all work search activity. You are exempt if you are in an approved work search program or training, get work through a union hiring hall, are in the Shared-Work program, are required to attend RESEA, or have a written recall date from your employer.
Where do I log in to my unemployment claim in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania's Department of Labor & Industry runs the Unemployment Compensation (UC) Benefits system, where you log in with your UC System username and password to certify each week (Sunday through Saturday) that you were totally or partially unemployed. Online filing is available 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday. You can also file weekly certifications by phone through PA Teleclaims (PAT) at 888-255-4728, 24 hours a day; the statewide UC line for initial claims is 1-888-313-7284. L&I warns that it will never ask you to pay for UC services.
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.